In this issue

Wine biotech in SA Moore et al. , Biotechnol. J. 2008, 3, 1355–1367 The wine industry in South Africa is over three centuries old and over the last decade has re‐emerged as a significant competitor in world wine markets. The Institute for Wine Biotechnology (IWBT) was established in partnership with the Department of Viticulture and Oenology at Stellenbosch University to foster basic fundamental research in the wine sciences, leading to applications in the broader wine and grapevine industries. A review article from the IWBT focuses on the different research program (grapevine, yeast and bacteria biotechnology program, and chemical‐analytical research), commercialization activities (SunBio) and new initiatives to integrate the various research disciplines. The 'Functional Wine‐omics' programme uses a systems biology approach to wine‐related organisms with the aim to model aspects of the wine making process, from the vineyard to the finished product. Coal biodegradation in SA Igbinigie et al. , Biotechnol. J. 2008, 3, 1407–1416 Bermuda grass has been observed to grow sporadically on the surface of coal dumps in the Witbank coal mining area of South Africa. Root zone investigation indicated that a number of fungal species may be actively involved in the biodegradation of hard coal and thus enabling the survival of the plant, through mutualistic interaction, in this extreme environment. In an extensive screening program of over one thousand samples, the Deuteromycete, Neosartorya fischeri, was isolated and identified. Researchers from Grahamstown (SA) find oxidation of the coal surface and nitration of the condensed aromatic structures of the coal macromolecule as possible reaction mechanisms in N. fischeri coal biodegradation. This is a first report of N. fischeri mediated coal biodegradation and, in addition to possible applications in coal biotechnology, the findings may enable development of sustainable technologies in coal mine rehabilitation. Sugarcane engineering in SA Ferreira et al. , Biotechnol. J. 2008, 3, 1398–1406 Starch only occurs in small amounts in sugarcane, but is, nevertheless an unwanted product because it reduces the amount of sucrose that can be crystallized from molasses. In an attempt to reduce the starch content of sugarcane, researchers from Stellenbosch (SA) manipulated the activities of ADP‐glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase) and β‐amylase with transgenic approaches. This leads to a reduction in starch amounts by 90% compared to wild‐type control cells. There were no significant effects on sucrose concentrations, indicating that these approaches might be useful to engineer regenerated sugarcane for optimized sucrose production.